By Anastasia Stepankowsky

Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole said Wednesday her department is taking steps to avoid excessive force and said she supports an expanded role for civilians in the Office of Professional Accountability that investigates allegations of police misconduct.

The chief spoke to about 70 people during a “community conversation” at the West Seattle Senior Center, her first public foray into the area since protests about strong-arm police behavior forced the shut down of a public meeting on February 3rd.

“Nobody dislikes bad cops more than good cops, because good cops are out there and they understand their role to provide service to the community,” O’Toole told the audience, which remained attentive and calm throughout the evening. “Every time a bad cop does something stupid or, not only makes a mistake, but does something intentionally wrong it makes the good people look bad. It makes their jobs a lot more difficult.”

The Southwest Precinct Council and the West Seattle Block Watch Captains’ Network hosted the chief’s appearance.

Seattle PD’s use of force and racial profiling has come under scrutiny in recent years. A 2011 U.S. Justice Department investigation, for example, concluded that officers’ used of impact weapons such as batons was unnecessary or excessive in 57 percent of the cases and that an unconstitutional amount of force was used in 20 percent of cases.

More recently, the agency is investigating Seattle Officer Cynthia Whitlatch who allegedly arrested a black man using a golf club as a walking cane for no apparent reason. She also is accused of posting racially inappropriate comments on social media.

O’Toole encouraged members of the public who have complaints about officer conduct to reach out to the department’s Office of Professional Accountability (OPA), which investigates allegations against police.

There are currently several members of the police department including captains and sergeants who help the office with these investigations. However, O’Toole stated that she supported the civilianization of these investigation positions to help the public feel procedures are being conducted independently and objectively.

“We’ll take very seriously any allegations of wrongdoing that we get against one of our officers,” O’Toole said.

The Office of Professional Accountability determined Whitlatch’s controversial comments on social media were made off-duty, but other allegations are still under investigation. O’Toole said she’ll act on the case when the OPA releases recommendations about Whitlatch, who is currently on leave.

Stemming from these allegations, O’Toole recently implemented a new social media policy regarding officers’ personal accounts. The policy states that employees can’t post speech that negatively impacts the department’s ability to serve the public nor can they post privileged information as well as other stipulations.

In response to citizen questions, O’Toole said the department is taking steps to comply with a consent decree with the Justice Department that requires it reform efforts to ensure effective and constitutional policing in the city.

The police department has had to implement new policies including but not limited to use of force and arrest procedures. These policies were completed last year, but more training is still necessary.

“At the end of the day, it’s not just about ticking boxes and saying ‘Oh we got that done.’ We need to enhance the trust of our community. And that will take time,” O’Toole said.

O’Toole’s comments were troublesome for Brenda Donner, treasurer of the Washington State Concerns of Police Survivors.

“I thought [O’Toole’s were slanted toward ‘Oh the officer did something wrong.’ I would prefer not to see a natural assumption that the officer did something wrong,” Donner said. “I would have liked her to have a little more support for the officers.”

Several audience members asked O’Toole and new Assistant Chief Steve Wilske about a string of strong-armed cellphone robberies committed against children. The last one was Feb. 4. The department made an arrest that day and no others were reported after that. The agency also arrested six juveniles Tuesday in connection with recent thefts around Westwood Village.

Wilske said the department is getting a bike team together that will split its time between Westwood Village and South Park. It is expected to launch in about 10 days.

“We’ve reached out to the Seattle Youth Violence Projects to get them [the juveniles hooked up with counseling to get them back on the right road,” Wilske said.